Against the War on Iraq

AGAINST THE WAR ON IRAQ

INTRODUCTION

This is a personal account of Saturday 15th February 2003. A day that
will go down in history as the day that saw the largest public
demonstration ever seen on English soil. I feel proud to be a part of
it. Proud of all my friends who took part. Proud of the people of this
country who I don't know who turned out on a cold Saturday in February
and proud of those who supported our ideals but could not make it out
on the day. I feel it necessary to add my own, personal footnote to
history so those that are interested can have an idea as to why over
one million people felt the need to mill about the capital in such
brass monkey weather.

Without further ado I will launch into my tirade against war and my
(hopefully) amusing and jovial account of a grand day out.

THE EVENT - BACKGROUND

Saturday 15th February 2003. Millions of people worldwide took to the
streets to make their feelings felt.

With every passing day it looks more and more likely that a war will be
waged against Iraq. The USA is leading the way, closely followed by the
UK in the "War on Terror." Millions of people are opposed to this war
and organizations around the world arranged a protest to occur in over
300 cities around the globe.

In the UK the Stop The War Coalition, CND and the Muslim Association of
Britain make the arrangements, supported by a myriad of
Non-Governmental Organisations, campaign groups, religious groups,
pacifists, political groups and quite frankly, just a heck of a lot of
entirely sensible people.

The organizers of the London march estimated that two million people
marched through the streets of the capital. The police put the figure
at 750,000. The BBC put the figure at just over one million. In Rome
over two million turned out. In Glasgow, Belfast, Auckland, Sydney,
Paris and hundreds of other cities people came out in opposition of
this war.

Rarely, if ever, in my life have I felt so connected to so many people
from such different backgrounds, cultures and nations.

PERSONAL VIEWS ON THE WAR WITH IRAQ

It is easy to talk as if the war has already started. The prevailing
sense of inevitability means that I will continue to write as if it has
already happened.

My views on the war have arisen out of much deliberation, reading,
talking and of course TV viewing. I don't come to my conclusions
lightly and I like to think that I take a balanced approach.

I sympathise with Tony Blair (less so Bush). Tony is in a very
difficult position. I don't believe it is fair to criticise him as a
person, as many have done. I think he honestly believes that he is
doing the best for this country and that he is misguided in this,
partly as a result of trying to maintain that "special relationship"
with Bush.

The regime of Saddam Hussein is a brutal one. Under his leadership
thousands, probably millions have suffered or died. The world would
clearly be a better place without him and with a democratic and
consciencious Iraqi leadership in his place. He has used chemical and
biological weapons and if he continues to develop and keep them there
is a definite risk that they will be used against innocent people,
whether by Iraq or by terrorist groups who gain access to them. It is
important also that we learn the lessons of history. Probably the event
that has had the greatest impact upon the people of the world today has
been the Second World War. The policy of appeasement in the 1930s taken
by the Allied Nations allowed Hitler and Mussolini to ride rough shod
over many before war became inevitable. I understand why Bush and Blair
feel the need to nip this dictator in the bud so that history does not
hold them in any way responsible for other atrocities.

All of these points might be convincing if they were part of a
consistent and well-planned foreign policy. But they're not. There are
several nations that match the criteria for war that is being used but
no action is being taken against them.

Undoubtedly there is further information and intelligence to which I
(and the rest of the enforcedly ignorant electorate) am not a party to.
I can only make my opinions on the information I have before me and in
this democratic society I intend to make that opinion count.

Other countries have oppressive dictatorships and appalling human
rights records. Other countries have weapons of mass destruction. (In
fact the US fits many of its own criteria for stepping in to remove a
government.) Are we invading China? No. Are we imposing sanctions
against Russia for oppressing its ethnic minorities? No. Are we bombing
Zimbabwe and Mugabe's regime? No. Are we sending weapons inspectors
into Israel to look at their weapons of mass destruction? No. Are we
seeking UN resolutions against Texas when they continue to judicially
execute children and the mentally ill? No.

How can we be convinced by the arguments for war against Iraq when the
reasons put forward are inconsistent and hypocritical? How can this be
a moral war when the politicians refuse to stand up for their morals in
almost every other situation and with every other nation?

When I thought about why I was marching against war I asked myself two
simple questions. Why are we fighting this war and what will it seek to
achieve? When I think of these questions I can find no good
answers.

WHY?
The war on terror. This all came out of September 11th. But what
connection is there between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden beyond
the broad brush of the name of their faith. Their religious views are
incompatible and there is no publicly known evidence of any tangible
link. Saddam may have weapons that can do a lot of damage but so do
most other nations. I personally think that no nation should have such
destructive devices. Who are we to decide that we are entitled to
weapons that have massive destructive force, when others are not?
Surely it is the ultimate hypocrisy to say it is OK for us to play with
the toys but no one else is allowed.

The terrorists of al-Qaeda have many resources and even if Iraq is
directly involved in supporting their activities, this war will not
have any great effect on their capabilities. All they need is someone
with enough passion and hate to give their own life. September 11th
showed that they don't need a chemical warhead to end and permanently
scar the lives of thousands.

Why now? The regime in Iraq has bee carrying on in the same way for
years without world leaders feeling the need to step in. I fear that
the reasons for this war are a combination of Western imperialism and
greed, a misplaced sense of righteousness and a momentum of resentment
and distrust from September 11th that has clouded the reason and
judgement of politicians.

International law is very clear about when war is justified. There is
no justification for war just to change a regime that you don't like.
Clearly the current regime in Iraq is undesirable by almost anyone's
standards but without getting into a deep philosophical debate about
the nature of morality, it is a dangerous game to believe, without
reserve, in your own way and forcing others to follow your own model.
Where will it end? I wonder how the people of this country would react
if a foreign leader declared he didn't like the way we were doing
things and waged war against us.

Personally I believe that war is only (barely) justified in direct
defence of an invasion. Even then I, personally, could not kill a
fellow human being. People die in wars. People suffer. Homes and
families are destroyed. It is not a question of whether innocent people
die. All human life is precious. It is easy to forget the true nature
of war with today's technology, precision bombing and computerized
missile attacks. It is not a clinical exercise. People are put through
the most unimaginable horror and this must be avoided. It must be a
last resort. Might does not make right.

WHAT WILL THIS WAR ACHIEVE?

Hatred. Pain. Suffering. Death. In an nutshell.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If you act violently
you will get a violent reaction.

Before the UK joined the war on terror we were not in fear of terrorist
attacks from al-Qaeda or other extremists (IRA excluded). We have made
ourselves a target. By waging war we will breed resentment and hatred
against this country. We will create the next generation of suicide
bombers ourselves. The war will not reduce international discord,
divisions between East and West, mistrust between Christian and Islam
but increase it.

At this point I will take a hypothetical situation. Two men are in a
public house. One of them is bigger and armed with a knife. The smaller
man has been causing problems all night, knocking into people and
causing a nuisance. The big guy decides enough is enough and stabs him.
What does the law say? The big guy is guilty of GBH at best. His
actions are disproportionate. In this situation every on looker can
only say that the larger man was in the wrong for acting so. You cannot
expect to resolve a situation in a violent manner. If he was under
threat of his own life and acted with reasonable force in the
circumstances, he would have a defence of self-defence. Every sensible
person would accept my opinion of this hypothetical situation so why do
so many people feel that it is OK to pull our weight and kill so many
people in this war?

It is only through understanding and communication that this world will
be improved and the war on terror will be successful. Hatred and
violence begets hatred and violence. We need to set an example. Condemn
abuses of human rights across the globe, starting with our own back
door. We should look at why people feel so much hatred towards our
Western culture. Accept that there are problems, put them right, don't
allow Western multinationals to bleed dry the developing world, act
like a mature and responsible nation so that we can set an example to
the world.

It is easy to criticise but it is so much harder to make positive
suggestions. Everyone has the power to pout something positive into the
World around them and we should start with ourselves and work outwards.
Rather than trying to show the moral superiority of our nation by
bombing other nations, we must examine ourselves and realize that we
have strayed from the path. Show understanding, tolerance, support and
how can anyone hate that enough to undertake acts of terror to bring it
down? (OK so I am an idealist)

Will the war reduce suffering and abuse in Iraq? Maybe in the long run
but certainly not in the short term. Will it have any impact against
terrorism? Doubtful. Will it give America access to the second largest
oil reserve in the World? Yes. Will it satisfy feelings of revenge and
hatred? If so there will always be left a bitter after taste.

THE GRAND DAY OUT
A good day out is, of course, all in the preparation. What better way
to prepare than to get plastered the night before and stay out dancing
until 2.30 a.m. My apologies to Carl for leading him astray when he was
on call the next day.

I awoke with a great feeling of excitement. (It's quite common for
young men anyway). A rejuvenating shower and a breakfast of aspirin set
me up for the morning of the march. I could almost taste the solidarity
before the march even began. (Or was that just my carpet tongue from
the night of drinking?)

I made my way down to London Bridge to meet Elliott and his girlfriend
Keira. Elliott has been a friend since I was eleven and it was he who
first got me into marching, inviting me along to my first march against
the Afghan war last year. We met down at my namesake, Caf? Rossi, at
11.00 for a proper breakfast. Elliott was sporting a fetching Peruvian
knitted hat with earflaps and Keira was sporting the essential snow
boots, crucial clothing for a cold days march. (Unfortunately Keira
forgot her jacket however. Brrr) We were joined by another Kiwi, Dan
and set ourselves up with a round of scrambled eggs on toast and a
cheeky beverage at the Thameside Inn.

I found that the hardest part of the say was trying to stay with the
same group. Nearly as hard was meeting up with other friends who were
also marching. We made the mistake of trying to walk from London Bridge
to Waterloo to swell our numbers. We were met by hordes of people
coming the other way. I don't know whether it was my excitement at the
day's activities or just the human sheep phenomena but I felt desperate
to turn around and join the protest right then.

We managed to battle our way to Waterloo for 1.20 p.m. Twenty minutes
past the agreed rendezvous time. I was supposed to meet Siobhan (friend
from work) at (incredibly ironically) McDonalds but alas she had
already left. Matters had not been made easier by a lack of
communication. (She had dropped her phone in a glass of water - as you
do - probably nothing to do with her previous night's drinking exploits
I'm sure.)

I was fortunate, however, to meet Punam from work at McDonalds and our
numbers were also strengthened by the arrival of Stuart (friend from
home and actor - you may have seen him on casualty when he played a
casualty) his girlfriend, Sam and his friend from University,
Winston.

Armed with sandwiches, apples, mini donuts and sugar coated nuts the
intrepid eight set about crossing the river (a deceptively difficult
task) and saving the world (decidedly easier).

The reason why we had to fight against so many people to get to
Waterloo was now made abundantly clear. The Police (in their wisdom)
had shut off all the bridges around Waterloo to the protestors. All
this did was add fuel to our anti-authority fire as we railed at the
abuse of our civil liberties. (I'm sure the European Convention on
Human Rights says something about a right to cross bridges.)

So we ambled up to Blackfriars to cross as the helicopters swirled
overhead, like moths around the flame of our passion for peace.

We left London Bridge at 12.40 and I eventually made it to Hyde Park at
5.00, minus most of the original posse. It is difficult to describe the
sights and sounds that we all experienced on the way. People from all
classes of society, all ages and races took to the streets together.
Many people were carrying banners and placards, ranging from the
hastily scrawled "Hastings for Peace" on a piece of A4 paper to the
highly amusing "Dyslexics against Raw" and "Peace protestors do it on
the grass." There were also a number that incorporated a clever world
play on the surname of the US President. Dan picked up a discarded
stick from a placard and had the dedication to go most of the way,
waving his blank stick. After he nearly took my eye out I suggested he
joined the pro-stick march, which happened to be going in the opposite
direction.

Anti-whistle marches were also discussed as we were periodically
deafened by the shrill sounds. It was a profitable day for the whistle
and horn sellers of this world. I wonder if they are corporate
executives by day and branch out for a weekend job?

For most of the way people swarmed over every available space, climbing
on top of bus shelters to make a stand and mounting traffic lights to
take a picture to try and capture the moment. There were so many people
that we would often come to a momentary stand still or a steady shuffle
for peace. Frequently people would give up trying to move any further
and just stop to form an ad hoc party in the street around a sound
system. My favourite tune that was played was "War! What is it good
for? Absolutely nothing!" I kept singing it again and again over the
day, but I discovered it doesn't make a great sing-a-long-a peace
chant. The timing is a bit difficult for hundreds of people to remain
in sync.

The numbers meant that it was hard to stick together. By Piccadilly I
had lost Stuart, Sam and Winston and shortly after Piccadilly lost
everyone else, only just managing to stay with Punam as she cut a
swathe through the crowds for us like a jungle guide.

The atmosphere was not as vibrant as I thought it might be. There was
very little chanting, despite a few aborted attempts to start it going
in our group. It was more an atmosphere of quiet determination with an
undercurrent of excitement, bubbling below the surface. Occasionally it
would break out in spectacular fashion with a Mexican wave of noise. I
could hear shouts and cheers from far up head, swiftly rolling
backwards and over me like a tsunami of sound. We were never quite sure
why we were cheering and whooping but it always felt right.

Every caf? and pub that we passed looked more tempting than the last.
With the temperature gradually dropping and hunger gnawing at the
edges, I think it was more foolishness and the belief that the sooner I
got to Hyde Park, the sooner I could spend an evening in a nice warm
pub, that kept me going. Despite having to do almost a full circuit of
the park to find an entrance that the Police would let people in, I
finally made it in with Punam. All attempts to get in touch with our
friends on the march had proved fruitless as the networks could not
take the strain of a million people talking on their mobiles "Where are
you?" - "In Hyde Park!" - "Me too, where?" - "Under the big tree by the
thing." - "Which tree? What thing?" - "Sod it. See you in the pub
later."

Alas we had missed the speeches, with the exception of the very last
speech, "Thank you for coming and goodbye." Most people were leaving
the park and it was getting bitterly cold. We were warmed, however, by
the news form the organizers that two million people had been there to
oppose the war on Iraq. Some groups of people looked like they were set
in for the night, dancing merrily to Bob Marley. Several fires had been
started to add a comforting heat and consume the last of the banners
and placards. The flames rose up into the air, painting expressions of
quiet satisfaction on the weary faces gathered round for warmth.

We eventually got through to some of our companions and made our way to
The Devonshire Arms to meet Fiona (friend from work) and one of her
friends for a swift ale. We then continued with the walking theme of
the day and trooped of to Soho for a welcome meal and sit down,
reunited with Stuart, Sam, Winston and Sam's sister, Nita. After a
jovial and self-satisfied feed and a few glasses (all right, more than
a few) of wine, we hit the brick wall of exhaustion. I made my way home
to soak in a bath, listening to Aim's "Cold Water Music" with a large
glass of vintage Port, before feeling inspired to take up my pen.

CONCLUSION

The whole event was wonderfully organized, well policed and undertaken
in the spirit with which it was intended. Congratulations must go to
all those involved in it.

It is truly an amazing thing when millions of people rise up around the
world at the same time and speak to the rulers of the world with one
voice and one message, "No to war on Iraq!"

It was an historic day. In years to come I hope that I might have
children of my own that will be proud of me for standing up (and
walking) for what I believe in. It really gives me hope that, as a
world, as a people, we can come together in a true democratic fashion
and take positive action to improve the world around us. I hope that
this will be the first step in a new world for a new millennium. Too
often have we stood in silence while power has been abused and people
have suffered. I have faith in the greater goodness of the human race
and this march has made me believe that this can come to the fore and
that people will not be afraid to challenge the world around them and
to stand up and be counted.

This march was a just a step. If this world has a chance we have to go
the whole distance.